This invention relates to a method and means for placing an identification mark on a hog.
Federal regulations require that hog carcasses be permanently identified from point of purchase through the slaughter process where they may be scalded or skinned. This identification is required to ascertain the source of diseases and prevent their spread if disease is detected in the slaughter house. The hogs are stunned, bled, scalded or skinned, eviscerated and split. The USDA veterinarian examines the carcass and either accepts or condemns the same. If the carcass is condemned, the veterinarian or inspector records the hog raiser as the source of the particular disease. Grading of the carcass also occurs at this point to determine the purchase price. Thus, it can be seen that it is vitally important that some means be provided for identifying the animal from the point of purchase through the slaughter house.
Previous identification methods consisted of tattooing the skin of the live hog with pins dipped in non-food grade tattoo paste and sharply striking the animal thereby leaving a three digit identifier in the skin capable of persisting ledgibly through the scalding process. The hammer tattooing causes trauma to live animals and causes back fat to be "pulled out" in the area of impact. This results in loss of lard in amounts of one-quarter to three-eighths pound per animal and results in a substantial financial loss in large operations. If the hog is skinned, rather than scalded, the carcass has to be reidentified by tag or retattooing since the skinning removes the tattoo.
At the present time, hogs which are going to be skinned can only be permanently marked by ear tagging which is an expensive method due to the need to restrain the animal for approximately one minute and an expenditure of two to three cents per tag. The ear-tagged animal must still be reidentified during the slaughter operation since the head and ears are normally removed before evisceration, splitting and grading. The operators of the hog buying station are unable to determine whether the purchased animal will end up in a skinning or scalding situation. If the hog is subsequently scalded after being ear tagged, considerable needless expense has occurred since the hog could have been marked with the hammer tattoo method. Added emphasis on permanent identification and skinning has recently been brought about by three converging changes in hog slaughter. One change in hog slaughter operations is due to the recent passage of law requiring a permanent mark from the point of purchase to post-slaughter grading but the United States Department of Agriculture is not presently enforcing the law since no viable method has been developed. A second change in hog slaughter operations is due to the high energy costs associated with scalding operations since it requires considerable energy to maintain a 24,000 gallon scald tank at 165.degree. F. through a 16 hour killing period. Skinning is rapidly supplanting scalding as hog skins become more available. The advent of a satisfactory hog skin tanning system is resulting in the increased value of the hog skins. Heretofore, hog skins were previously cut up with the meat and used in gelatin with some portions of skins being traditionally left with some cuts such as ham and bacon.
Many packing houses wish to pay the owner of the hogs on the basis of grade and yield rather than per head. Since grade and yield cannot be determined on the hoof, it is tattooed at the point of purchase. No problem of identification existed in scalding operations but the changing of plants from scalding to skinning operations will make the reidentifying process a costly expense.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a method and means for placing an identification mark on a hog.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and means for marking a hog which does not result in a "pull out" of back fat.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and means for marking a hog which causes the identification mark to remain on the animal even though the skin is removed therefrom.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and means for placing an identification mark on a hog which does not cause trauma in the area of marking.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and means for placing an identification mark on a hog which simultaneously injects tattoo paste in and under the skin of the hog to permanently identify the animal or its carcass through skinning or scalding operations.
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for tattooing an animal wherein the identification mark is visible before and after the skin has been removed from the hog.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a method and means for placing an identification mark on a hog which is economical.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.